Hypnosis: True or False?
This post presents the truth regarding some of the most common myths, misunderstandings, and beliefs about hypnosis. Hypnosis is one of the most misunderstood subjects in the world; that’s why a lot of people are afraid of it. My goal is to explain it in such a way as to help readers understand what it really is, and just as importantly… what it’s not! I’ve been using hypnosis to help people for over 30 years. I speak from experience. Hopefully, this post will enlighten readers a bit by taking the mystery out of it.
#1. Probably the most common misconception about hypnosis is that it will MAKE you do (or not do) something. FALSE. You always have Free Will – even in the hypnotic state. Just because you’re in the state of hypnosis doesn’t mean that you’ve lost your awareness or ability to choose. Hypnosis can HELP you make desired changes in your life, but it can’t make you do anything, or make you stop doing anything. In fact, without your proactive commitment to the process… it won’t help you one bit.
are you awake?
#2. The hypnotist puts you to sleep. FALSE! This whole idea about being asleep originated in the early days of hypnosis, back in the 1700’s. The first book ever published on the subject was by a Scottish surgeon named James Braid. In his book, Dr. Braid did in fact use the Greek word “hypnos” which means “the coming on of sleep”, not actual sleep. The Greek language is more specific than English. In Greek, there are 3 different words for sleep… unfortunately in English there’s only one. Dr. Braid wanted to change it, but this was back when they used printing presses and it would have been a huge job to change the word hypnos to something more accurate, so it remained the same. Consequently, this has caused a great deal of confusion ever since.
#3. You can be hypnotized against your will. FALSE! In order for a hypnotist or hypnotherapist to guide you into the hypnotic state, you must allow it to happen. You actually play an important role in the process, and unless you actively participate – you will NOT go into “trance”. Any resistance on your part will nullify your efforts to enter the hypnotic state, and neutralize all efforts to be helped by the process. You are an active participant.
Hypnosis: True or false?
#4. You can get stuck in hypnosis. FALSE! The hypnotic state is not like a coma, you can come out of it any time you want. Even if the hypnotist or hypnotherapist were to leave the room, you would still come out of it once you realized something wasn’t right. Remember, even in the state of hypnosis, you are fully aware of everything at all times. In fact, you are even MORE self-aware than you are when fully conscious! The state of hypnosis is similar to having a daydream, you’re highly focused on one thing, but still aware of everything around you.
#5. Only weak-minded people can be hypnotized. FALSE. First of all, when we look at the phrase “can be hypnotized”, it implies something being done to you. This is not the case. Entering the hypnotic state requires a 50/50 participation between the hypnotist and the client. I do my part and you do your part. I’ve been doing this work since 1992 and have NEVER hypnotized anyone! And the notion that only “weak-minded” people can be guided into the hypnotic state, is completely false. I’ve worked with highly intelligent clients as well as those who might be considered of lower intelligence. I don’t judge. Any person, regardless of educational level or intelligence can experience the hypnotic state if they want to. The fact is, you’ve experienced the hypnotic state thousands of times and didn’t even know it!
reality check
#6. It only takes one session to fix any problem you have. FALSE! Have you ever gone to a physical therapist who fixed you up with only one visit? Not likely. It typically requires multiple sessions to address a physical problem. In fact, people generally expect to return for several visits before the physical therapist releases them. Yet when it comes to hypnotherapy, many expect to get all fixed up in one session! Remember, the second half of the word hypnotherapy, is THERAPY. And just like physical therapy, it often requires multiple sessions to accomplish your goals. Granted, there are some small issues that can be treated with only one session, but be realistic. It may have taken years to develop your problem; you can’t expect to get rid of it in only one session. If that’s what you expect, that’s called magic – and it doesn’t exist.
#7. When under hypnosis you will say or do things you wouldn’t normally say or do. False. This belief comes from watching those so-called “stage hypnotists”. What they are doing – although it’s being called hypnosis – is NOT hypnosis… it’s Manipulation. Stage “hypnotists” know that you already believe that someone under hypnosis will say or do things they would not normally say or do, and the “hypnotist” is exploiting that belief to make money. It’s a very poor representation of a legitimate healing method. Personally, I believe it’s unethical. People in a hypnotic state will NOT say or do anything that violates their moral or ethical belief systems.
hypnosis: true or false?
#8. Hypnosis goes against my religious beliefs. This is not really a true/false issue, but I think it’s important to cover. I think that most of the concern comes from the belief that hypnosis can control your mind and beliefs in some way. With all the junk that comes out of Hollywood, and the bogus stuff that “stage hypnotists” do, it’s no wonder that a lot of people see it that way. I once did myself before researching it and looking at it objectively. Once I began to really study it with the intention of helping people, it became clear to me that hypnosis as done by an ethical hypnotherapist such as myself, is not about controlling anyone.
There’s no mystical power that I have to control people. My only objective is to do my best to help them. Hypnosis is just a tool, a method of helping people to regain their own control over the things that are causing them emotional or physical problems. Any tool can be use for good or evil. I choose the good.
hypnosis: true or false?
#9. Hypnosis is nothing but the placebo effect. False. Did you know that well over 1/3 of all prescription medications are no better than a placebo? Other studies have found that 50%-55% of the effectiveness of all prescription medications – is actually due to the placebo effect! Doctors know about the placebo effect… and they use it! The following quote is from a Dr. Steve Harris, MD at the University of Utah School of Medicine regarding antidepressant medications: “The placebo effect of most antidepressants is so large that it outstrips the total effect of the active drug in most studies, for as long as the drug is taken”. Learn more about the placebo effect Here.
The mind is more powerful than any drug and it can do amazing things – if we get our egos out of the way. That’s what hypnosis does; it gets your conscious mind out of the way so that the subconscious mind can do its job of healing. It’s been estimated that the subconscious mind is 30,000 more powerful than the conscious mind! The only reason mainstream medicine doesn’t take hypnosis seriously is because they can’t bottle it and sell it. It’s all about the money.
use hypnosis for a change
#10. Hypnosis can help me to make desired positive changes in my life. This brings us to our first TRUE! The key word in that statement is “help”. Hypnosis is a very effective and powerful methodology that can assist you in making desired, positive changes. These changes can be in the form of thoughts, feelings, beliefs, behaviors and/or perspectives.
You may be surprised to learn that most of our deeply-rooted beliefs were learned within the first 7 years of life. When you change a belief or perspective about someone or something, it automatically changes the way you feel. This is a scientific fact. How we think determines how we feel… ALWAYS. Hypnosis helps you to zero in on your troublesome, outdated beliefs or mental programs, and change them to something that is more in harmony with where you are today. Having an outdated belief is like letting a 5-year old determine the way you think, feel and act! No wonder we develop problems as adults!
hypnosis: true or false?
In closing, as you can see there are a lot of false beliefs about hypnosis. False beliefs are at the root of many social, physical and emotional problems. Our bodies automatically respond to our thoughts, beliefs and perspectives – either in a positive way or in a negative way. However, true freedom comes when we identify and update our internal programs (beliefs). It’s just like updating the software in your computer… everything simply runs better!
